This collection from Al Watson consists of over 1,500 color photographs taken by Watson documenting trails, vistas, and other scenery within the Great Smoky Mountains. Also included are pamphlets, correspondence, reports, and other papers documenting activities of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club as well as other activities related to the Great Smoky Mountains.

The collection has been arranged into two series based on format: Photographs and Papers. The photographs are organized based on the creator's order. Original captions or titles for groups of photographs have been kept when possible and are denoted by quotation marks. The papers have been arranged alphabetically by file title.

A third series was added in 2023 to include roughly 1100 more photographs spanning from 1979-1984. This series is arranged by date of creation. Most photographs are dated and captioned with location, but less than a quarter are either not dated or have no caption.

A fourth series was added in 2024 containing correspondence from Al Watson to his hiking friend Bill Hart. His letters span from 1979 to 2015, and the last folder contains correspondence from Bill to Al from 2024. A number of letters include photographs taken during his hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains. Most of the photographs are dated and include detailed descriptions of the images written by Al.